Particle Measurement Sensor for in situ determination of phase structure of fluidized bed

Based on three-dimensional （3D） acceleration sensing, an intelligent particle spy capable of detecting, transferring, and storing data, is proposed under the name of Particle Measurement Sensor （PMS）. A prototype 60-mm-dia PMS was tested to track its freefall in terms of velocity and displacement, and served as a particle spy in a fluidized bed delivering the in situ acceleration information it detects. With increasing superficial gas velocity in the fluidized bed, the acceleration felt by PMS was observed to increase. The variance of the signals, which reflect the fluctuation, increased at first, reaching a maximum at the gas velocity （Uc） which marks the transition from bubbling to turbulent fluidization. Through probability density distribution （PDD） analysis, the PDD peak can be divided into the emulsion phase peak and the bubble phase peak. The average acceleration of emulsion and bubble phase increased, while the variance of both phases reached a maximum at Uc, at the same time. However, the difference between the variances of two phases reached the maximum at Uc. Findings of this study indicate that PMS can record independent in situ information. Further, it can provide other in situ measurements when equipped with additional multi-functional sensors.

Statistical Description of Debris Particle Size Distribution in Electrical Discharge Machining

Gap debris as discharge product is closely related to machining process in electrical discharge machining（EDM）. A lot of recent researches have focused on the relationship among debris size, surfaces texture, remove rate, and machining stability. The study on statistical distribution of debris size contributes to the research, but it is still superficial currently. In order to obtain the distribution law of the debris particle size, laser particle size analyzer（LPSA） combined with scanning electron microscope（SEM） is used to analyze the EDM debris size. Firstly, the heating dried method is applied to obtain the debris particles. Secondly, the measuring range of LPSA is determined as 0.5–100 μm by SEM observation, and the frequency distribution histogram and the cumulative frequency distribution scattergram of debris size are obtained by using LPSA. Thirdly, according to the distribution characteristic of the frequency distribution histogram, the statistical distribution functions of lognormal, exponentially modified Gaussian（EMG）, Gamma and Weibull are chosen to achieve curve fitting of the histogram. At last, the distribute law of the debris size is obtained by fitting results. Experiments with different discharge parameters are carried out on an EDM machine designed by the authors themselves, and the machining conditions are tool electrode of red-copper material, workpiece of ANSI 1045 material and working fluid of de-ionized water. The experimental results indicate that the debris sizes of all experiment sample truly obey the Weibull distribution. The obtained distribution law is significantly important for all the models established based on the debris particle size.

Measuring the velocity of sand particles in an air/particle two-phase flow:A comparison of several commonly used methods

The velocity of blown sand particles is an important parameter in aeolian movement （a special case of gas particle two-phase flow） and has ever been a topic of interest. At present, several techniques have been applied in measuring velocity of the blown sand particles. This paper reviews the measurement results of several commonly used methods： photoelectric cell method, high-speed photographic method, Particle Dynamics Analyzer （PDA） method and Particle Image Velocimetry （PIV） method. Photoelectric cell method, high-speed photograph method and PDA method are useful in studying the velocity distribution of particles. PIV is a whole-flow-field technique and a useful tool to study the average velocity field in a target area. These methods got some similar results but considerable differences also exist. They have come to similar conclusions on the velocity distributions at a single height but direct measurement results with respect to the velocity distribution very close to the surface are still scarce except some PDA results. The magnitude of measured mean particle velocity differs greatly. The relationship obtained by different methods between mean particle velocity and wind velocity, particle size and possibly other influencing factors also differs considerably. Although several authors have proposed similar power functions to describe the variation with height of the mean particle velocity, the predicted results have wide differences. Each technique is based on some unique principles, and has its advantages and disad- vantages. To make full use of different techniques, a lot of work needs be done to validate them. Developing a reliable technique to measure the velocity of blown particles is still a necessary task in aeolian research.

The Spectroscopic Systems for the Study of Light Impurity Particle Transport in the HT-7 Tokamak

Three spectroscopic systems have been developed for the study of light impurity particle transport in the HT-7 tokamak. A visible multi-channel spectroscopic system （VIS） is used to obtain the brightness distribution of the line emission from ionized light impurities. The profile of Zeff（r） has been obtained from the visible multi-channel bremsstrahlung measurement （VB）. The system with a rotating hexahedral mirror for space-time resolved spectroscopy measurement from ultraviolet to visible （UV） can provide the brightness distribution of two different emission lines of the light impurities simultaneously. The emissivities by these multi-channel measurements can be obtained by Abel inversion. The measurement was performed in typical OH discharges in the HT-7 tokamak. The carbon particle transport was analyzed. The feasibility of these diagnostic systems for the impurity particle transport study is clearly demonstrated.

Internal Flow Field Measurement of Gas Turbine Based on Optical Flow Method

The in-cylinder flow field of the internal combustion engine is an important factor affecting the quality and combustion quality of the fuel mixture in the cylinder. In order to calculate the high-precision flow field, the paper presents a flow field calculation method based on the optical flow algorithm. The motion of the point was calculated using the change in pixel intensity within two temporally adjacent frame images. The results show the high accuracy and resolution of the flow field at small displacement conditions.

A Comparison of Relative Humidity between Two Swedish Buildings with Different Ventilation Solutions

This project is based on measurements of the parameter relative humidity, RH (%), in two buildings: one with natural ventilation and one with mechanical ventilation. Both buildings are located in central Sweden, which constitutes a representative climate zone with respect to Swedish conditions. An important factor for the indoor environment, which affects human health and well-being, is the level of the relative humidity, RH (%). Research studies show that the healthiest level should be in the range of 40% - 60%. Surveys have revealed that about 70% of the employees at Swedish offices, schools and kindergartens experience that the air is too dry during the winter season. Previous studies show that the level of relative humidity in the indoor environment influences the prevalence of respiratory infections and allergies. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the relative humidity differ between the two buildings, and if this may be a cause of the health problems that users are affected by. During many years, users have complained about the environment in the building with mechanical ventilation and that they suffer from health problems. The method used in the study is air measurements of the two parameters, relative humidity and air temperature in the two buildings using data loggers. The indoor environment is affected by the outdoor climate and therefore instruments are placed outdoors to record seasonal variations. The measurements were carried out during the period October 2014 to September 2015 to include all of Sweden’s four seasons with completely different climatic conditions. The results of this study show that the relative humidity in the mechanically ventilated building is consistently significantly lower than in the building with natural ventilation whatever the time of year and temperature indoors. This study shows that mechanical ventilation in buildings affects the indoor environment negatively with respect to human health during most time of the year and this fact must be taken into consideration for the existing as well as the planning of new ventilation systems.

Anomalous acceleration of ions in a plasma accelerator with an anodic layer

In a plasma accelerator with an anodic layer（PAAL）, we discovered experimentally the effect of‘super-acceleration＇ of the bulk of the ions to energies W exceeding the energy equivalent to the discharge voltage Vd. The E？×？B discharge was ignited in an environment of atomic argon and helium and molecular nitrogen. Singly charged argon ions were accelerated most effectively in the case of the largest discharge currents and pressure P of the working gas. Helium ions with W？〉？eV_d（e being the electron charge） were only recorded at maximum pressures. Molecular nitrogen was not accelerated to energies W？〉？e Vd. Anomalous acceleration is realized in the range of radial magnetic fields on the anode 2.8？×？10^（–2）≤B_（rA）≤4？×？10^（–2） T. It was also found analytically that the cathode of the accelerator can receive anomalously accelerated ions. In this case, the value of the potential in the anodic layer becomes higher than the anode potential, and the anode current exceeds some critical value. Numerical modeling in terms of the developed theory showed qualitative agreement between modeling data and measurements.

Aircraft Observations of Liquid and Ice in Midlatitude Mixed-Phase Clouds

ABSTRACT This paper reports airborne measurements of midlatitude altostratus clouds observed over Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China on 3 March 2007. The case demonstrates mixed-phase conditions at altitudes from 3200 to 4600 m （0°C to -7.6°C）, with liquid water content ranging from 0.01 to 0.09 g m-3. In the observed mixed-phase cloud, liquid water content exhibited a bimodal distribution, whereas the maximum ice particle concentration was located in the middle part of the cloud. The liquid and ice particle data showed significant horizontal variability on the scale of a few hundred meters. The cloud droplet concentration varied greatly over the horizontal sampling area. There was an inverse relationship between the cloud droplet concentration and ice particle concentration. A gamma distribution provided the best description of the cloud droplet spectra. The liquid droplet distributions were found to increase in both size and concentration with altitude. It was inferred from the profile of the spectra parameters that the cloud droplet sizes tend to form a quasi-monodisperse distribution. Ice particle spectra in the cloud were fitted well by an exponential distribution. Finally, a remarkable power law relationship was found between the slope （λ） and intercept （No） parameters of the exponential size distribution.

On-board measurement of particle numbers and their size distribution from a light-duty diesel vehicle:Influences of VSP and altitude

In this study,the particle size-resolved distribution from a China-3 certificated light-duty diesel vehicle was measured by using a portable emission measurement system（PEMS）.In order to examine the influences of vehicle specific power（VSP） and high-altitude operation,measurements were conducted at 8 constant speeds,which ranged from 10 to 80 km/hr at10 km/hr intervals,and two different high altitudes,namely 2200 and 3200 m.The results demonstrated that the numbers of particles in all size ranges decreased significantly as VSP increased when the test vehicle was running at lower speeds（〈 20 km/hr）,while at a moderate speed（between 30 and 60 km/hr）,the particle number was statistically insensitive to increase VSP.Under high-speed cruising conditions,the numbers of ultrafine particles and PM2.5were insensitive to changes in VSP,but the numbers of nanoparticles and PM10 surged considerably.An increase in the operational altitude of the test vehicle resulted in increased particle number emissions at low and high driving speeds;however,particle numbers obtained at moderate speeds decreased as altitude rose.When the test vehicle was running at moderate speeds,particle numbers measured at the two altitudes were very close,except for comparatively higher number concentrations of nanoparticles measured at 2200 m.

In-line imaging measurements of particle size,velocity and concentration in a particulate two-phase flow

A novel method is developed for in-line measurements of particle size, velocity and concentration in a dilute, particulate two-phase flow based on trajectory image processing. The measurement system consists of a common industrial CCD camera, an inexpensive LED light and a telecentric lens. In this work, the image pre-processing steps include stitching, illumination correction, binarization, denoising, and the elimination of unreal and defocused particles. A top-hat transformation is found to be very effective for the binarization of images with non-uniform background illumination. Particle trajectories measured within a certain exposure time are used to directly obtain particle size and velocity. The particle concentration is calculated by using the statistics of recognized particles within the field of view. We validate our method by analyzing experiments in a gas-droplet cyclone separator. This in-line image processing method can significantly reduce the measurement cost and avoid the data inversion process involved in the light scattering method.

Effect of Vortex Stirring on the Dilution of Copper Slag

In order to solve the problem that the vulcanizing agent utilization rate is low and the dilution effect of copper slag is poor,the vortex stirring dilution method was used to improve the conditions of the dilution kinetics and copper recovery.The water model was used to simulate the effect of copper slag dilution.Under the premise of keeping the Reynolds number consistent,silicone oil and glass beads were used instead of copper slag and vulcanizing agent.Based on the relationship between voltage and concentration,the PC6D dual-channel particle concentration measuring instrument was used to study the stirring speed and the insertion depth of the stirring paddle in model experiments,and the suitable conditions were speed 250 rpm and insertion depth 70 mm.The fire dilution of copper slag was done under the conditions.After stirring and sedimentation,the Fe_(3)O_(4) in slag decreased from 22.58% to 4.65%,and the copper content of the slag decreased from 2.94% to 0.34%.The copper recovery was 88.44%.

Unsteady flow structure of an airfoil in ground effect

Particle image velocimetry （PIV） experimental results of wake flow structure of a NACA0012 airfoil with small attack angle mounted above water surface are introduced.The experiment was carried out in a small-scale wind-wave tunnel.The diameter of wind-wave tunnel test section is 1.7 m （long） × 0.4 m （width） × 0.4 m （height）.The flow fields around the airfoil were measured under four diffierent conditions by varying the distance between the airfoil and the water surface.The attack angle of the airfoil was kept 10- during the experiment.For each experimental condition,the time series of particle images was captured to calculate continuous evolution of the velocity fields.The velocity fields were ensemble averaged to get the statistic parameters such as mean velocity and vorticity.Typical instantaneous velocity fields for each case are introduced to show the basic flow structure of wind surface flow separation.The aerodynamic loads acting on the airfoil are analyzed qualitatively according to the mean vorticity distribution in the flow field based on the theory of vorticity aerodynamics.The results indicate that the flow structures and drag/lift force of the airfoil alter remarkably with the changing distance between the airfoil and water surface.

IN-LINE MEASUREMENT OF PARTICLE SIZE AND CONCENTRATION WITH LIGHT FLUCTUATION METHOD

This paper presents a new method for in-line and in-situ particle sizing based on the Light Fluctuation Method, including the development of a novel optical probe capable of measuring particle size and concentration in the broad range of 10~1000 microns.

Theoretical Design of a 104MHz Ladder Type IH-RFQ Accelerator

Beam dynamics and rf designs of a 104 MHz ladder type IH-RFQ （L-IH-RFQ） accelerator are finished at Peking University for the acceleration of 14C＋ from 40 keV to 500 keV. As a specific feature, the output beam energy spread is as low as 0.6% achieved with the internal discrete bunching method, which makes potential applications of RFQ feasible, such as accelerator mass spectrometry and ion implantation. Tolerances of the beam dynamics design are studied by means of changing the input beam parameters, and the results are quite satisfying. On the other hand, the L-IH-RFQ structure is employed, taking advantage of its mechanical stability and the absence of inter-electrode voltage asymmetry. Radio-frequency properties are studied and optimized for reducing power loss with Microwave Studio （MWS）. Tuning of the field flatness and frequency is investigated in principle.

Assessment of Primordial Radionuclides in Pakistani Red Bricks and Associated Radiation Doses

Specific activity of primordial radionuclides and associated radiation hazards due to 40K, 226Ra, and 232Th have been measured in backed red brick samples, collected from five highly populated areas of the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. For the detection, analysis and data acquisition, a high purity germanium detector was used. Associated external doses were calculated using a Monte Carlo neutron photon transport code. A theoretical model to determine the gamma dose rate at 1 m height from the floor, made of bricks, was employed for the calculation of mass attenuation coefficient and self-absorption in the floor for the gamma energies of these radionuclides and their progeny. Monte Carlo simulation shows that in this study the floor, having more than an effective thickness of 15 cm, contributes very little to the external gamma dose rate. The values of the external dose rate and annual effective dose are found to be much lower than the world average as well as from other countries of the world.

PIV MEASUREMENTS OF THE NEAR-WAKE FLOW OF AN AIRFOIL ABOVE A FREE SURFACE

The near-wake flow of a NACA0012 airfoils mounted above a water surface were experimentally studied in a wind/wave tunnel. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of the free surface on the structure of the airfoil trailing wake. The flow structure was measured with different ride heights between the airfoil and free surface using a Particle Image Velocimetry （PIV） system. The Reynolds number based on the chord length of the airfoil was about 3.5×10^3. For each experimental condition, large amount of instantaneous velocity fields were captured and ensemble-averaged to get the spatial distributions of mean velocity and mean vorticity, as well as turbulence statistics. The results show that the flow structures of the airfoil wake varies remarkably with the change in the ride height.

Inversion of particle size distribution from light-scattering data using a modified regularization algorithm

A modified regularization algorithm with a more proper operator was proposed for the inversion of particle size distribution （PSD） from light-scattering data in a laser particle sizer based on the Mie scattering principle. The Generalized Cross-Validation （GCV） method and the L-curve method were used for deter- mining the regularization parameter. The Successive Over-Relaxation （SOR） iterative method was used to increase the exactness and stability of the converged result. The simulated results based on the modified algorithm are in a good agreement with the experimental data measured for nine standard particulate samples, their mixtures as well as three natural particulate materials with irregular shapes, indicating that this modified regularization method is not only feasible but also effective for the simulation of PSD from corresponding light-scattering data.

Landmarks in the application of electrical tomography in particle science and technology

Selected milestones in the development and use of electrical tomography in powder conveying, slurry processing and multi-phase flow are highlighted. The ability to map concentration in opaque mixtures under process-realistic conditions was a major innovation for the method and has had far reaching implications. Subsequent developments have enabled velocity information to be abstracted resulting in the ability to measure component flux and motion.

Comparison of four scanning mobility particle sizers at the Fresno Supersite

Size distributions of ambient aerosols at the Fresno Supersite were measured with four commercially available scanning mobility particle sizers （SMPS）. TSI nano, TSI standard, Grimm, and MSP instruments were collocated at the Fresno Supersite and particle size distributions were measured continuously from August 18 through September 18, 2005. For particles with diameters between 10 and 200 nm, differences among hourly-average ambient particle concentrations ranged from 0% between the TSI nano and Grimm in the 30-50 nm size range to 39% between the Grimm and MSP in the 10-30 nm size range. MSP concentrations were 10-33% lower than those measured with the TSI standard for particles smaller than 200 nm. The TSI nano and TSI standard agreed to within 5% in their overlapping size range （10-84 nm）. The TSI nano and Grimm agreed to within 40% for 5-10 nm particles.

Advances in shape measurement in the digital world

The importance of particle shape in terms of its effects on the behaviour of powders and other particulate systems has long been recognised, but particle shape information has been rather difficult to obtain and use until fairly recently, unlike its better-known counterpart, particle size. However, advances in computing power and 3D image acquisition and analysis techniques have resulted in major progress being made in the measurement, description and application of particle shape information in recent years. Because we are now in a digital era, it is fitting that many of these advanced techniques are based on digital technology. This review article aims to trace the development of these new techniques, highlight their contributions to both academic and practical applications, and present a perspective for future developments.